10 Things You'll Relate to If You're an INTJ

In the personality community, INTJs are one of the rarest types you’ll come across. According to myersbriggs.org they make up a mere 2-4% of the U.S. population. Many people mistype as INTJs from online personality tests, but your chances of actually meeting a genuine INTJ are pretty slim. This article will shine a light on some of the common experiences that INTJs face in day-to-day life. Let’s get started!

#1 – Strategizing Gets You “In Flow”

According to neuroscience expert Dario Nardi, INTJs (and INFJs) reach a “flow” state when they’re tasked to solve a complex, unusual problem or envision the future. INTJs are often referred to as “masterminds” and this is because they love to strategize, define goals, and create detailed plans and outlines for achieving those goals. Chess champion Bobby Fischer is believed by many typologists to have been an INTJ and he was one of the greatest strategists in the game of chess to have ever lived.

#2 – You Jump Forward in Time, Then Work Your Way Back

As a Ni-dominant personality type, you find yourself constantly envisioning a far-off future goal or ideal. You then work your way back to figure out what steps need to be taken to achieve that goal. Sometimes this can mean you lose touch with the details of the present moment, but you also have a strong assurance of how things will play out and what is most likely to happen.

#3 – You’re Not The Cold Robot Everyone Talks About Online

Many INTJ memes, comics, and articles refer to you as a “cold, robotic” type. Many people will type villains in movies as INTJs. But the truth of the matter is, as an INTJ you have tertiary Introverted Feeling (Fi). As a result, you actually have very strong personal values and ethics that you strive to live by. The emergence of these values usually appears in your 20’s or 30’s, but you generally stick to them no matter what. You probably feel things more deeply than people realize, but you keep your feelings and emotions close to the chest and don’t share them readily with anyone who hasn’t gained your absolute trust.

#4 – You Are Intensely Individualistic

You and your vision are intrinsically linked and while many people may not understand exactly how you process information (the US has very few Ni-dominant types), you still hold to that vision with intense determination and even stubbornness. Your intuition combined with your introverted feeling process gives you a tendency to be true to your own unique ideals and moral code. You care less what society says is acceptable and care much more about where your intuition is guiding you.

#5 – Routine Jobs Stifle You

Isabel Briggs Myers said of INTJs that they “are more interested in pioneering a new road than in anything to be found along the beaten path.” She also said that INTJs are “deeply discontented” in routine jobs. You need room to explore new ideas, new theories, new possibilities and while you can be very focused on your specific goal or vision, you dislike repeating the same process or focusing on something that’s already been done before.

#6 – You Can Be Easily Over-Stimulated

Because you have inferior Extraverted Sensing (Se) you can struggle with being overwhelmed by current details and sensory stimulation. In Understanding Yourself and Others – An Introduction to the Personality Type Code, Linda V. Berens says INTJs “the tangible realities of life often overwhelm them. They can easily be overloaded with sensory stimulation and data”. The good news is that the inferior function begins to develop in mid-life or later and as a result INTJs tend to become more at one with the physical world and more able to handle sensory data as they grow and mature.

#7 – You Can’t Stand Inefficiency

As an INTJ you have a good sense of timing and how to organize your time to make sure things are done efficiently and in an organized way. Laziness and procrastination makes your blood boil, and you also struggle when people let their emotions get in the way of getting something done. You believe feelings and emotions and leisure should be pushed aside until the “main project” is done efficiently.

#8 – You Experience Inner Images and Symbols That are Hard to Describe

One of the key qualities of Ni-dominant types (INJs) is that they are driven by inner visions and symbols. Carl Jung, the father or psychological type, said “The introverted intuitive moves from image to image, chasing after every possibility in the teeming womb of the unconscious….Introverted intuition apprehends the images arising from the a priori inherited foundations of the unconscious.” You see symbolic imagery and meaning in some of the most mundane everyday activities. You try to peer behind the scenes to see what hidden meaning is lurking there.

#9 – You Enjoy Respectful Debate

A good debate stimulates your problem-solving nature and your strategic thinking. You get frustrated when people at work or home try to stop a good debate and mistake it for a fight. You enjoy discussing and challenging not only other’s ideas, but your own.

#10 – Preparation Is Important to You

You develop contingency plans and contingency plans for your contingency plans. You like knowing what to expect, what to do in case the unexpected happens, and you find spontaneous disruptions and interruptions extremely aggravating.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you have any other points to add? Share your thoughts with other readers in the comments!

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2 Comments

I certainly do relate to this! The only minor point that I don’t quite relate to, is the one about being less over-stimulated by sensory stimulition as I grow older. I am 54, and I find bright lights, loud noises, strong smells, and spicy food still more over-stimulating, sometimes even hurting and painful.